Movie

Editor’s Note:This is the eighth year that Ryan has provided positive psychology movie awards. Check the reference list below for the links to previous articles about movie awards, as well as his book on positive psychology at the movies.

We provide Amazon links for each movie. We know there are many ways to gain access to these movies, but the Amazon reviews may be helpful even so.

How would the Oscar ceremony go if it focused on positive themes in movies?

Now in its 8th year, I’m happy to share my observations of the best movies using the science of positive psychology as a lens. In other words, if researchers/practitioners in positive psychology were the ones to give out Oscars for the best films, this is what they might say.

That is the perspective I take each year as I review a wide range of movies, studying them using the criteria of a positive psychology movie, separating the wheat from the chaff, and highlighting those exemplars that have something important to teach us.

Movies, more than any other art-form, capture the human spirit: what it means to live fully, to be resilient, to embrace what’s best in us. In short, positive psychology movies reflect and help us unleash our common humanity. At best, the following films inspire us to reach new levels of human potential; at worst, they are instructive and entertaining.

This film captures and evokes nourishing and afflictive emotions in the viewer, offers insight into what is best and worst about human beings, and highlights the persevering effort, adversity, and triumph of the human spirit. The film, based on a true story, shows how the impossible is not so. We are guided by the film’s music, which is anticipatory in tone, mirroring those anticipatory emotions viewers feel as we long for the reconnection of a family that has been split apart.

This runner-up for Best Positive Psychology film should be required viewing for anyone wanting to look beyond the surface of life. Through its animations, it is poignant, emotional, transcendent, and deep. It highlights central themes of positive memory, impact of storytelling, longevity and energy of family connections, facing life transitions, taking courageous actions, and especially, finding meaning in both life and death.

This is a true story of two young priests who journey to find their mentor in 17th century Japan when Christians were tortured and executed for their beliefs. The novelty of not only the modalities of torture but also the energy of resilience is palpable.

One of the year’s best films offers deep lessons about fairness, authenticity and fighting for what is right, in this case, fighting for individual and collective freedoms against a male-dominated system at NASA in the 1950s. The entire system resists the brilliant minds of three African American females but their perseverance pays off and has a direct impact on the U.S. space program.

The protagonist, a language expert, comes to learn that despite her being able to live in the present and see the future, what really matters is the present moment. She discovers the ultimate mindfulness path: she learns to let go of the future (and in her case, letting go of the negative things that will happen) and appreciate the present moment. This is metaphorically portrayed through her connection with aliens that teach her a universal language for communicating.

The Star Wars franchise, in part based in Joseph Campbell’s mythology and the hero’s journey, maintains this theme in a film that highlights the story of a young woman’s journey to free herself, find her father, and save the galaxy from evil atrocities.

Never proselytizing and only expressing his religious freedom, Desmond Doss is a conscientious objector during World War II. He objected on the grounds of his Seventh-day Adventist faith, but wanted to serve in the military as a medic. He perseveres in his objection, remarkably both in training and at war, and heroically, single-handedly saves the lives of 75 men left to die on the battlefield. Exhausted and under fire, after each man he saves he turns in prayer to God, exhausted, saying, “Help me get one more.” And, he did… 75 men later.

During a couples’ weekend, the viewer can learn from displays of poor communication and conflict, as found in all relationships, but also from honest, meaningful communication and connection with one another and the facing of challenges directly as a dyad, together.

From South Korea, this zombie apocalypse film offers tremendous insights for enthusiasts of positive psychology around mindfulness/mindlessness, unconditional love, positive/negative relationships, empathy/disempathy, and courage/cowardice. Observe the protagonist through the lens of kindness (and lack thereof) and witness his transformation in his relationship with his daughter from complete disengagement to full (i.e., maximum) use of kindness/care.

Immediately following the assassination of President Kennedy sitting next to her in their car, Jackie Kennedy navigates profound grief with her signature strengths of perspective, self-regulation, and prudence. She elevates these strengths through the lens of her leadership strength. Interestingly, her strengths use at this horrifying time of her life far exceeds her strengths use two years prior in the early days of her time in the White House during a different kind of stressor.

A self-sustaining, family utopia relying on interdependence and teamwork as they find survival, wisdom, pleasure, and engagement in life deep in the forest, begins to unravel after they learn of the death of a loved one. They must find a way to improve upon their “team” mindset in order to survive and thrive as a unit.

The film opens with a quotation from Aeschylus: “In war, truth is the first casualty.” The film attempts to fairly depict and grapple with moral dilemmas and how various systems and levels of authority engage with the truth; leaders must decide (and follow protocols) around whether or not to destroy a compound containing two suicide bombers preparing to attack (as well as 3 of the top 5 most wanted terrorists), at the expense of killing innocent bystanders and civilians, which include a young girl selling food for her family.

Documentary of a former professional football player who is diagnosed with the degenerative, neuromuscular disease, ALS, at a young age. To leave a trail of wisdom and love for his young son, he has his mental, emotional, physical, behavioral, and spiritual journey filmed. Deep themes of positive parenting as related to savoring, meaning, and living life with intentionality can be found. The film might be viewed as a companion to the story of Randy Pausch, the professor/author of The Last Lecture.

If you’re ready to discover your strengths (where you underplay, overplay and use them best), get clear on what your strengths-fueled future could look like, and find tested, practical ways to start developing your strengths each day, I recommend training with Michelle McQuaid. In her online six-week strengths training course, Show Up, Shine & Succeed, you can get what you need to bring out the best in yourself and others at work. Registration closes Sunday 13th March, and this is the last time Michelle will be offering the course at its current low price.

Here’s what Lesley Lyle and Dan Collinson, leaders of The Positive Psychology People, say about this question.

“When we talk about positive psychology and The Positive Psychology People, we are often asked questions such as, ‘What is positive psychology?’, ‘Isn’t that just positive thinking?’ or ‘That’s just about happiness, isn’t it?’ Then we spend time explaining what this wonderful subject is really all about.”

“Sometimes people haven’t even heard of positive psychology!”

“We thought it would be useful to have a video explaining what positive psychology is and who better to ask than the leading names in the field of positive psychology. So, we made some calls on Skype and asked the question, ‘What exactly is positive psychology?'”

“The following video is a recording of the responses of twenty people who allowed us to record their unrehearsed and unscripted responses. The video quality is limited by the internet connections as we spoke to people across the world. We hope you enjoy watching and find interesting and we’d really love to hear your thoughts and opinion on the subject too. Please share this with others so that more people hear about the fantastic field of positive psychology!”

Dr David Cooperider, The Fairmount-Santrol Professor of Appreciative Inquiry, Cape Western Reserve University & Honorary Chair of the David L. Cooperrider Center for Appreciative Inquiry Stiller School of Business, Champlain College

Dr Jane Dutton, Business Professor, Michigan Ross. Kathryn Britton’s review of her latest book, How to Be a Positive Leader is here.

Tal Ben-Shahar, an American and Israeli teacher, and writer in the areas of positive psychology and leadership. Amanda Horne reviewed one of his books, The Pursuit of Perfect, here. Her article contains links to his other books.

Editor’s Note: This year we are proud to present Ryan Niemiec’s winners of the Positive Psychology Movie Awards before rather than after the Academy Awards, which will be presented on February 28. Now during the Academy Awards, you can watch to see how many of Ryan’s winners also win Oscars.

This is the seventh year that Ryan has provided positive psychology movie awards. Check the reference list below for the links to previous articles about movie awards, as well as his book on positive psychology at the movies.

We provide Amazon links for each movie. We know there are many ways to gain access to these movies, but the Amazon reviews may be helpful even so.

Each year, I review a wide range of movies, studying them for their portrayal of core themes in positive psychology. Why? Because professors, counselors, coaches, and consumers regularly report the benefits of using movies as a lens for educating, for gaining insight, for re-conceptualizing problems, for instilling hope, and for self-growth. In fact, a study published this year found that viewing positive psychology movies led to an increase in positive characteristics and positive behaviors.

Now in its 7th year, I’m happy to highlight some terrific films from 2015 that reflect core themes in positive psychology.

While this pick might surprise some people, watch this film with a lens of positive psychology. The film directly identifies Charlie Brown’s expression of several character strengths, namely humor, bravery, kindness, and perseverance, all to support the meta-strength of love. True to research in positive psychology, Charlie Brown exhibits character strengths blindness and low self-esteem, and it takes other characters to engage in strengths-spotting before he improves his self-understanding. Themes of achievement, positive relationships, and meaning are readily on display.

A couple, about to celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary, encounters a unique challenge they must overcome. The film displays positive aging, relationship imperfections, and continual relationship growth rather than stagnancy. It would be difficult for any viewer of any age to watch this film and not wonder about one’s own long-term relationship and reflect on it in the context of many years (or decades) down the line.

The long-awaited film (and already the 3rd highest-grossing film in box office history) not only did not disappoint but enthralled most viewers and critics. True to the work of modern mythologist Joseph Campbell, the hero’s journey motif, and the previous Star Wars films, this installment depicts new heroes and old heroes expressing bravery, compassion, integrity, perseverance, and hope as they transform themselves and battle the dark side.

Unquestionably, one of the year’s best films from the perspective of story, acting, and using one’s strengths to make a difference in the world. A pathologist, Bennet Omalu (Will Smith), makes a medical discovery of football-related brain trauma and the long-term negative effects. Omalu displays psychological and moral courage, perseverance, integrity, judgment, and kindness in exemplary ways. It is this constellation of his best qualities that helps him challenge one of the biggest systems in the world – the NFL.

In an unthinkable situation in which no person in history has ever encountered, an astronaut (Matt Damon) becomes trapped on the planet Mars. With no one to turn to for support or problem-solving he is left with nothing but his character strengths and talents to not only survive but to find a way to make contact with Earth. It is hope the fuels him, helps him face constant adversity, and allows him to stay optimistic despite the horrifying reality of his situation.

A young woman stands strong through devastating circumstances of being kidnapped as a teenager, raped daily by her kidnapper, and kept imprisoned in a small room for 7 years, the last 5 with her son who was born in the room. Later, when she is no longer in the room, she must adapt to a new world and new life. She displays enormous coping resources and personal strength, especially in dealing with significant post-trauma psychological effects as she simultaneously tries to pick up the pieces of her shattered life and maintain care for her son.

The film title of the former means “the return.” Left for dead after a brutal bear attack, a frontiersman (Leonardo DiCaprio) fights to survive natural elements and betrayal by one of his men. He is driven forward by advice from his father who once told him “As long as you can grab a breath, you fight, you breathe. You keep breathing.”

The latter film title refers to the true story of 33 Chilean miners trapped deep in a mountain. The men form not only a team but a brotherhood that helps them outlast all the prognostications in regard to their unlikely survival.

A divorced woman, stuck in the sandwich generation caring for family members older and younger than she is, breaks from the monotony of her life and taps into the creativity she displayed as a child. Based on the real-life story of Joy Mangano and her achievements, her belief in herself and her creations are something for viewers to marvel at and emulate.

There were two films in 2015 that depicted two of the most famous and high impact social psychology experiments in history, Philip Zimbardo’s prison experiment and Stanley Milgram’s obedience experiment. It is the latter film that shows subjects engaging in an agentic state (defying authority and showing compassion for others). It also raises many questions about the nature of humanity, challenges viewers to see both the pros and cons of the experiment, and draws links to everyday life alluding to how everyone is a “puppet” obeying a puppeteer to some degree.

Portrays the “spotlight team” of the Boston Globe that broke the story of the Catholic Church’s systematic cover-up of the sexual abuse of children/adolescents by priests. It is ingenuity and collaborative teamwork that leads to their success. Viewers will see how different character strengths are aligned with different team functions/roles and how each team member uniquely rises to the occasion when needed to take initiative, to lead, to investigate, and to challenge.

In perhaps the most creative film of the year, Anomalisa is a unique animation from the quizzical mind of director/writer Charlie Kaufman, about a man lost in automatic pilot and monotony. He is shaken out (temporarily) by a naïve woman who raises his curiosity and moves him emotionally. She is his mindfulness catalyst. However, as is common for people who engage in mindfulness, he quickly returns to unawareness.

Fascinating independent film in which a random group of people find themselves part of an experiment in which they are standing in a circle they cannot move from and one person is killed off every couple of minutes. They must figure how why this is happening and if it can be stopped. Themes of morality around decision-making, end of life, stereotyping, betrayal, trust, and manipulation are striking. This is a mysterious and stark film (filmed almost entirely in one room), and one thing is certain – the viewer is fully engaged throughout, as is every single character, because their life depends on it!

One of the most popular positive psychology movies across audiences is this animated feature that highlights age-old adages of psychology/clinical psychology – that there is great value in our afflictive emotions (e.g., anger, fear, sadness), that we often feel a mixture/combination of emotions, and that it’s important to express our emotions directly. Unfortunately, the film depicts the standard imbalance found in traditional psychology – the underplaying of the positive, as there is only 1 positive emotion characterized (i.e., Joy), and 4 afflictive/negative emotions characterized.

Editor’s Note Interested in more ideas for experiencing positive psychology at the movies? This is the sixth year that Ryan has provided positive psychology movie awards. Check the reference list below for the full list, as well as his book on positive psychology at the movies.

We provide Amazon links for each movie. We know there are many ways to gain access to these movies, but the Amazon reviews may be helpful even so.

For those attending the International Positive Psychology World Congress next week, Ryan is hosting the IPPA movie night event on Saturday night.

Part science and science fiction, this film seems to have it all – romance, drama, adventure – and all the themes of PERMA in spades. Weave in poignant themes about having to stick with one’s difficult life choices, the psychological struggle to face death, and the painful yearning for one’s loved one who is out-of-reach, and you have a film that is rich in helping viewers better understand the human condition. If approached mindfully, the film raises the substantial life question for viewers, “What matters most?”

The relationship between two young adults suffering with a terminal illness is beautifully portrayed as each shows what it means to truly be there for another person. Viewers will learn many life lessons from this film, especially around themes of human connecting.

Depicts a snippet of the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., who embodied non-violence and positive leadership to significantly advance human rights. Despite high risks of violence and danger, he is frequently shown taking pauses and not reacting in order to maintain mindfulness, a self-regulated rootedness in the present moment that is open and curious. Also true to research in mindfulness, he stays true to his signature strengths of fairness, bravery, perspective, perseverance, and kindness.

Could one man have simultaneously been a catalyst for winning WWII and paved the way for the creation of modern computers? This film, based on professor and genius mathematician, Alan Turing, depicts this. Turing faced the German encryption device and solved the unsolvable by breaking what was believed to be an unbreakable code. Turing’s creativity, perseverance, and judgment/critical thinking are on full display as he bravely accomplishes a feat “by imagining the unimaginable.”

One of the best depictions of strengths overuse in film history as the film portrays a dystopian society divided by factions (similar to the VIA virtues) in which the people in each faction must solely use only one virtue (e.g., courage, wisdom, humanity) which therefore leads to virtue overuse and many problems. This inspired me to publish an article on 10 principles of character strengths overuse. Equally important, this film is about a subgroup of people who are divergent. They are able to express many virtues at once. We know these as character strength constellations or combinations.

As a psychiatrist goes on a personal journey to discover happiness, he journals about the many factors he believes contribute to happiness. Interesting film to discuss the level of scientific support for each of his findings.

Two true stories based on men who were tortured during World War II and overcame unthinkable obstacles to transcend their suffering and trauma. Each takes it a step further and expresses compassion and forgiveness for those that tortured them.

The peaks and valleys of the relationship between celebrated physicist Stephen Hawking and Jane Wilde are on full display for us to spot a myriad of strengths. Both remain true to their signature strengths (positive identity). Stephen is adept at wisdom strengths such as curiosity, critical thinking, and love of learning, while his wife is exemplary with her persevering kindness, forgiveness, and love.

In perhaps the most cinematically creative film of the year comes an interplay of several characters who are lost, disconnected from who they are. They prioritize their talents and give little or no attention to their character strengths. Because of heavy displays of narcissism, need for admiration, self-involvement, and grandiosity the characters display strength blindness around humility, teamwork, self-regulation, prudence, forgiveness, and fairness.

A talented drumming student encounters an emotionally abusive teacher who insists on “driving” his students “beyond what they are capable of seeing.” The student, blinded by success, overplays his perseverance and self-regulation to the extreme; his vision is stubborn, rigid, over-controlled, and single-pointed to be the best drummer. This comes at the cost of having no friends, a break-off with a meaningful relationship, constant battles with his teacher, and eventually exploding in a tirade that expels him from school.

Misuse (as opposed to overuse) occurs when an individual deliberately uses their strengths to harm others, break the law, and/or behave immorally. A creepy, lonely man (played by Jake Gyllanhaal) develops a talent for taking provocative videos of tragic accidents usually involving the death of others so that he can sell his video footage to newsrooms. He uses creativity as he lies and manipulates others to get the best news stories. He also uses social intelligence in a calm and calculating way. Other strengths that are used for selfish purposes at the expense of others include zest, perseverance, leadership, love of learning, curiosity, bravery, kindness, self-regulation, and appreciation of beauty.

Documentary on legendary film critic Roger Ebert that teaches the viewer many ways Ebert engaged fully in life – passionately using his skills to connect and achieve while always challenging himself (and his readers).

Animated films seems to win this category every year as such films are adept at bringing several different characters together for a common purpose. Each character brings unique strengths forth to help the group reach a goal, save the planet, or manage tense relations. The approach of such teams is not to harm others, to bravely take risks, and to support one another.

In this independent film about a chef who revitalizes his relationship with his son, the son creates a short project that could be likened to a positive intervention. Using only his phone, he creates a positive video montage that is 1-second-per-day of footage as he and his father bond and work together over a period of several weeks. The result is nostalgia, positive emotion, motivation, and deeper connection.

Author’s note: This is a continuation of the reflection started yesterday on judgment and open-mindedness as a character strength on the fence between heart and head.

While Lizzy and my other students study history formally, all of us have an opportunity to find examples of paragons of the strength of open-mindedness and judgment. The film, Selma, about Martin Luther King Jr. and the march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965, is an opportunity to reflect upon and celebrate the virtue of open-mindedness and judgment.

David Oyelowo portrays all of King’s humanity as he struggles to balance his conviction for civil rights with a desire to do no harm and to promote non-violence. Ava duVerney, the film’s director, shows us an example of the strength of judgment and a conviction for open-mindedness against the backdrop of courage and a fight for equality in citizenship.

Martin Luther King Jr. had difficult decisions to make both personally and for his community during the events of the Selma to Montgomery march. Interestingly, King did not walk in the first attempt over the Selma Bridge on March 7, 1965. However, this comes across as a judgment call, not an act of cowardice. Given the outcome of the day, now known as Bloody Sunday, King’s strategic decision to stay behind was potent. Had he been physically harmed, he would have been unable to lobby for the protection he ultimately won from Lyndon Baines Johnson and the Federal Government.

In his fight for freedom and his mission for open-mindedness, Bloody Sunday was not the only moment in the Selma-to-Montgomery march when King exercised exemplary judgment. On March 9th, King and other civil rights activists walked over the Edmund Pettus Bridge again. Known as Turn around Tuesday, on this day King once again exercised judgment and restraint to further the cause and protect those who were with him. King did not create a repeat of the violence that occurred on Bloody Sunday, nor did he violate the court order stating the march could not proceed. Instead, leading approximately 2,500 people across the bridge, organizing a short prayer session and then leading his supporters back into Selma, King exercised judgment that likely preserved lives and certainly generated more tactical publicity that helped many Americans become increasingly open-minded for supporting universal civil rights.

King’s conviction not only made him a leader, but the Nobel Peace Prize he won, for his doctrine of non-violence and his furthering human rights, demonstrate the depth of his purpose regarding open-mindedness. The thoughtfulness of his actions as he led those who stood beside him is a testament to his good judgment. At times, difficult decisions led to judgments with painful consequences (Bloody Sunday) and required more strategy and sacrifice (Turn Around Tuesday) than one may have imagined or than King would have most liked. The film artfully depicts the power and challenges of the strength of open-mindedness and judgment. By heralding King as its champion, drawing comparisons both to Malcolm X and George Wallace, and finally, causing us to reflect on difficult topics and hard won victories, the film exemplifies the virtue of open-mindedness and its sometimes perplexing twin, judgment.

Other Paragons on Film

Similarly, I suspect the films Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom and Gandhi also highlight excellent models of the strength of open-mindedness and judgment. Nowadays, King, Mandela, and Gandhi are all considered remarkable heroes because of their desire to further ideals of open-mindedness while working for the greater good of humanity. In modern society, it is hard to conceive of these three men as anything other than heroic. When I teach about these leaders, my students come away with the perception that these were noble men who used profound judgment fighting for worthy causes that perpetuated open-minded ideals.

Yet ironically, we must remember that at the time Gandhi, King, and Mandela were leading people in struggles for ideas of equality, there were those who did not share their views. Remember the notion I used to open this reflection on open-mindedness and judgment: “One man’s hero is another man’s terrorist.” To their adversaries, our modern heroes were terrorists; all three men were sent to prison for their controversial beliefs and actions. While it may be difficult for us now to envision them as terrorists, particularly because they advocated for a greater open-minded tolerance, we cannot forget that in their lifetimes, their ideologies were considered threatening for many.

* * * * * * * *

Where Does That Leave Us?

According to Edmund Burke, “Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.” By teaching moral reasoning instead of moral education, we abdicate our responsibility to help children develop the character strength of open-mindedness and judgment for themselves. These virtues must be learned by example and emotional connection. Viewing Selma is an excellent exercise to develop, contextualize, and build open-mindedness and judgment by watching an exemplar of the character virtue.

Trying to reason our way though the ambiguities of our modern world can be a minefield. When we teach virtue, emotion, and empathy, and when we help people learn how to align them with open-mindedness and good judgment, we build toward a more tempered and peaceful world.

“I believe that this turn from character to quandary was a profound mistake, for two reasons. First it weakens morality and limits its scope. Where the ancients saw virtue and character at work in everything a person does, our modern conception confines morality to a set of situations that arise for each person only a few times in any given week: tradeoffs between self interest and the interest of others. … The second problem with the turn to moral reasoning is that it relies on bad psychology. Many moral education efforts since the 1970s take the rider off of the elephant and train him how to solve problems on his own. … Then class ends, the rider gets back on the elephant, and nothing changes at recess.” pp. 164-165.

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